They say that nine of their cadre held by the LTTE should also be considered in the exchange of prisoners between the Tigers and the government. Many members of the groups, including PLOTE and TELO, have been attacked since the ceasefire in February 2002. The groups have submitted a list of the victims to human rights expert Ian Martin.
Batticaloa resident Ramanathan Ragupathy was shot dead in Mt Lavinia, south of Colombo, on 18 March, by two people on a motorcycle. Former member of TELO, Seenithamby Ranjan, 27, was killed on 2 April at Arayampathy in Batticaloa District, by a man on a motorcycle. Mr Ranjan contested the 2000 general elections on behalf of TELO and had been working with Army intelligence.
Retaliatory attacks on LTTE supporters have also been reported. Velupillai Kathirgamathamby and his wife Nagaletchumy were injured in a grenade attack on their house in Batticaloa town on 30 March. They are said to be LTTE supporters and police say Tiger cadre visited them often.